Asset strategy and
tactics development

Context

Our client was transitioning its new gold plant from project to operation when it realised many of its newly created maintenance plans, strategies, and tactics were not fit for purpose. Information was missing from key equipment strategies and tactics, and task types/frequencies were clearly misaligned with known failure modes. It was evident to site maintenance subject matter experts that deploying the agreed strategy and tactics were unlikely to support high levels of asset performance. Once these issues were identified and fully understood, the client needed fast, practical, and pragmatic solutions from a highly skilled provider who could work across the entire site.

Approach

The Minset team quickly assessed the existing work and identified two key concerns:

• The asset reliability and maintainability study took place during construction but prior to the final design. This led to an incomplete equipment register and missing maintenance strategies and tactics across numerous asset types.
• Tactical documentation, such as work orders, were created by a document writer rather than a maintenance expert, which led to ineffective tactics and the poor use of maintenance resources.

To address these shortcomings, Minset developed a phased work program based on areas of plant and asset criticality. Toll gates ensured timely outcomes to the required standard. Minset rationalised tactics and strategies across all primary processing and ancillary equipment by referencing existing site information, Minset’s own maintenance strategy standards, and OEM data. Our specialists optimised tactics by identifying gaps and duplications and improving task sequencing and inspection routes. Overall, the Minset team found 16 areas of missing or incomplete maintenance tactics – everything from conveyor calibration to tails pump inspections.

Improving strategy and tactics relied on a number of integral factors, including developing work processes related to monitoring equipment health, using reliability centred maintenance principles, and predictive maintenance processes.